Facing Him
by Starlight623
Summary: Sara isn't sure she can deal with this "new" Leonard from Earth-X. But she might just be ok with him in the end.
1. Chapter 1

A/N: Oh, that sizzle reel with the Captain Canary moment at the end! I want to avoid getting excited... I failed. I know I will very likely get my heart stomped on AGAIN and be forced to retreat to the bubble AGAIN, but I just want to see more of these two! This probably isn't how things will go at all, but...

Sigh.

* * *

The battle was fierce, but Sara was proud of how the teams were working together and really starting to win. Four separate groups of heroes and they were fighting as one.

And then she heard it.

That painfully memorable electronic whine that could only belong to one weapon. The sound was like a punch to the gut, which led to an actual punch to the gut as the distraction led to her enemy gaining the upper hand for a moment.

But her adrenaline was up now. A kick to the face was all he needed to be on the ground. Sara started fighting those people that were between her and the screech and chill that filled the air.

Then she saw the blue glow of the Cold Gun, but more importantly, the fuzzy hood of the man who wielded it.

"Leonard?" she whispered, stilling for just a brief second before spinning and taking out two bad guys with her staff.

No matter how hard she tried, she could never get over to (the man she could only assume was) Leonard. Too many enemies and too much movement on his part. But the glimpses she got made her sure that this was Leonard… or at least, the Leonard from another earth. These baddies were from a different dimension, so it stood to reason that this guy was too.

Would it soothe her heart or break it again to speak to this Snart? What if he was worse than the one they lost? A Legion of Evil version? No, that couldn't be. This Leonard was fighting the bad guys. So… maybe he was just like hers… theirs. Theirs. The team's. She couldn't let herself think that way. She couldn't be that attached to anyone. People she… cared about… well, they almost always went away. There was no sense getting attached to this guy.

Wait, why was she even assuming getting attached? She hadn't even spoken to him, barely seen his face even.

And then he turned and his hood fell down.

His goggles were different, but that close cut hair was so familiar. If this wasn't her (their) Leonard, then he was damn close.

Sara wanted to know, but was so terrified of the answer. She was finally starting to feel like she was getting past the pain of losing him. She hid it very well in front of the others, but secretly, she was always hurting over the what ifs, the wondering, the regrets.

Finally, all the enemies had retreated or fallen. The heroes limped and slowly gathered together before a collective gasp could be heard as Snart turned around.

"Something on my face?" he drawled.

That voice.

At that moment, Sara gave in to exhaustion, and ran away.

"Blondie!" she heard Mick call, but she had to get out of there.

She wasn't using everything she had, though, and Mick caught up.

"Boss, what the hell are you doing?" he said, grabbing her shoulder and turning her around.

"I can't deal with that right now, Mick," she said, pointing shakily in the direction of the fight. "He can't be our Leonard. Can't be."

"I don't think he is. Heard someone else say he came from this damn Earth-X place. But he's a good guy there. Maybe even a hero. Not even Captain Cold, just Citizen Cold."

"Guess he got a demotion," Sara said with a sardonic chuckle.

"Either way, we gotta get back."

"No, Mick. I can't look at him."

"Sara, listen to me." The use of her actual first name especially grabbed her attention. "We've got a serious war going on here and if other Leonard can help, we have to deal with it. I hate it too, but not as much as I hate Nazis. I'm gonna bust some heads and light shit on fire alongside this guy and then we'll deal with it. Alright?"

She knew it was time to take things seriously when Mick was the voice of reason. "You'll light shit on fire. He'll freeze shit."

"Whatever," Mick sighed with a slight grin. He stuck his arm out, gesturing that she should go. "You comin'?"

She paused. This wasn't her. She didn't run from her problems. Sara Lance faced her problems head on and this was no different. Leonard from X was an ally, apparently, and she should be grateful for that, especially if he was even half the badass that her (their! Their, dammit…) Leonard was.

"Yeah, Mick. I'm comin'."

They returned to the others, who all looked at Sara with strange expressions.

"I needed some fresh air," she snipped. "Is that a problem?"

The crew of the Waverider instantly reacted with head shakes and "nopes!"

The others looked a bit more skeptical, but let it go for now. Sara could tell especially that Felicity and perhaps Caitlin would be talking to her later about this. Kara too, maybe. Damn perceptive friends.

A handful of introductions were made and Sara suggested everyone head to the Waverider. "Maybe we can find some down time before we get back at getting rid of these bastards," she said, turning and well-expecting everyone to follow.

Of course, they wisely did.

As they walked away, Oliver thanked Leonard-X for his help.

"Not done helping yet," Leonard replied. "Our enemies are still on your Earth, Ollie."

Oliver bristled and growled, "Don't call me that."

Leonard nodded. "Give it time. I'll get through that crusty exterior."

Sara hurried her pace a bit to catch up. "No, you really won't."

He glanced over to her, hoping she'd look back. "Oh, I was talking to you."

Sara didn't know what to say, so she simply kept walking. Leading the others to the Waverider. Upon their arrival, Sara looked "up" to the ship's AI.

"Gideon! I'll assume you know everyone here."

"Naturally, Captain Lance," Gideon replied. "These are the heroes of Star City, Central City, and National City of Earth-38. Welcome to you all."

"Perfect. Please, help them with whatever they need while they're on board."

"Of course, Captain."

Some of the newcomers to time travel looked around to find the voice they were hearing. The others just wandered off to find a place to rest. Cisco and Felicity looked ready to burst at being back on the Waverider.

Sara sighed and rolled her eyes a little. "I'll be in my bunk for a bit."

She turned and began walking. As she got closer to her room, she felt a presence. Gideon had certainly mentioned nothing about anyone intruding onto the ship, so this must have been someone from the group. She slowed her walk a bit, waiting for the other person to catch up.

Sara tensed as she realized who it was. Though, she was embarrassed to realize that she recognized the footfalls. It was…

Suddenly she felt herself being pushed against the wall and his lips were on hers.

Her brain was in overdrive, wanting to give into the kiss, but also wanting to kick this jerk's ass.

Just as she was about to flip him over, he backed up just a fraction and smirked. That asshole, having the nerve to smirk Leonard's smirk at her.

"Did stealing that kiss prove that I'm one hell of a thief?" he murmured.

Now Sara's brain was especially in overdrive. It couldn't be. It really couldn't be.

But Earth-X's Leonard wouldn't know about their conversation about stolen kisses and being a hell of a thief. He wouldn't even know that she and her Leonard were… whatever they were. So, that could only mean that this… this was…

"Leonard?" she whispered.

The look in those damn eyes was all the answer she needed.

* * *

End note: The Captain (Citizen?) Canary moment is quoted in here. I certainly don't own it, but it is one of the few things I agree with the writers concerning these two.


	2. Chapter 2

"In the flesh," Leonard whispered.

"But… how?" Sara stammered.

"I think that's a bit of a long story."

"Ok, first things first." She grabbed his hand and began pulling him along.

"Hey, we passed your quarters," he said as he pointed to her door.

"Yep. We're not going there. We're heading to the medbay. Gideon, prepare to scan Leonard."

"Right away, Captain Lance," the AI replied.

" _Captain_ Lance?" Leonard questioned.

"I think that's a bit of a long story," Sara repeated.

Once they reached the medbay, Sara used this opportunity to quiz Leonard. "Ok, stick out the hand that Gideon regenerated for you."

Leonard nodded. "Ok, I see what you're doing here." He sat in the chair and produced his right hand. "Go ahead, Gideon."

As the beams covered his hand, Leonard looked up at Sara. "Pretty smart, assassin. Gotta make sure I'm me?"

Sara tried to ignore the pang in her heart at being called "assassin" in a good way. "Yep. If that's the hand that Gideon fixed—"

"And it is," Gideon interrupted.

"Which it is," Sara continued. "Then you really are our Leonard Snart."

"Yours?"

"Well… you know… the crew's."

"Ah, the crew's."

Sara stared at him for a moment. "Oh hell with it," she muttered before grabbing his goggles and pulling him into a kiss.

"So, you're a pretty good thief yourself, I see," he drawled as they pulled away.

"You could say that."

She grabbed his hand and began pulling him again.

"Now where are we going?" he asked.

"You're first instincts were pretty good. We're heading to my room," she told him.

At that explanation, he walked faster and began pulling her instead. Once they arrived to her room, the door shut behind them and he instantly had her back against the wall again. And this time, there were no conflicting feelings about flipping him, so she fully gave herself to the kiss.

As his hands got a bit bolder, Sara gasped. She used that break to say, "We wasted too much time, crook. There's still a lot to talk about, but I don't want to waste any more time." She spun them around, slamming him to the wall this time and kissed him hard. She then walked them back to her bed.

"Last chance, Len. Tell me if this isn't where you want things to go."

"Oh, Canary. I've dreamed of making you sing. This is where I want things to go. And further. I want it all now."

"What the future holds?" she asked with a hopeful lift to her voice.

"For me and you," he replied before kissing her once again and lowering her to the bed.

* * *

Collapsing onto Leonard's chest, Sara couldn't help but smile. She happily listened to his heart beating and felt warm all over as he kissed the top of her head.

But her curiosity won over and she had to ask, "So, ready to explain things now?"

"Really, assassin? Wham, bam, time to explain things?"

"Yep."

He dramatically sighed and carefully rolled her off of him. He propped his head up on his arm and began. "All right, so it all started at the Oculus. When it exploded, I didn't die like I expected to. No, instead it sent me to another universe. Turns out it was this Earth-X. That's where I met my doppelganger from there."

Sara's head shot up in surprise. "You met him?"

"Well, it was hard not to, the time stream or whatever spit me out right into one of his safe houses."

"He's a thief too?"

"Not exactly. His safe houses held things much more precious than my stolen stuff. Turns out, he was a good guy, fighting the damn Nazis and hiding Jewish people in his safe houses. It was humbling to say the least."

Sara propped her head up as well, and put a comforting hand on his chest and urged him to continue.

"Once I saw the great work he was doing, I wanted to help. So, we told everyone I was his long lost twin brother Rory."

Sara snorted at that. "Rory?"

"Don't you dare tell him I named my newest alter ego after him."

She made a zipping motion across her lips.

Leonard continued, "So, he patched me up, seeing as how an Oculus explosion will still leave you pretty messed up and we started talking. I found out that he had a Cold Gun as well and that we were very, very similar in a lot of ways. Horrible childhoods, love of cold, annoying sisters…" he paused and looked away, then looked back at her through his lashes. "…a heart for a certain Lance sister."

Sara gasped a little. "He was in love with my doppelganger?"

Leonard didn't even bat an eye at the use of "love." "Yes, but he lost her to the war. Her, and Lisa, and Mick. He lost everything to the war. All his family to those bastards. How could I not help him?"

His look told Sara that the story didn't have a happy ending.

He sighed. "For months, we fought together, trying to save as many people as possible. One night, he came back with 3 new people to hide, but he was wounded. He took a shot to the gut. Before he died, he asked me to take up the mantle for him. He was Citizen Cold there. I couldn't say no, since I certainly didn't expect to be coming back here. So, I took his Gun, his goggles and his coat and began doing his work. And then, during one battle, I found myself and the bastards I was fighting here on this Earth. Don't know how we got here… but I'm pretty glad we did."

"Yeah. Me too. I just can't believe you're here. You're really here. I've been… we've all been…"

Tears welled up in her eyes and she tried desperately to not let them fall, but they did. Leonard gently wiped them away with his thumb.

"I'm so sorry, Sara. I shouldn't have made that move at the Oculus. We should have figured something else out. Almost two years we wasted. I wasted."

"But you're here now. And we can forget about all of that. Though, the crew is definitely going to need an explanation. Especially Nate and Amaya after the whole Legion thing."

Leonard raised an eyebrow.

Sara stopped short. "Yeah. There's a lot to tell you."

"Ok, let's start with this Captain Lance stuff. Where's Rip?"

"The short story is that Rip left the ship to us, specifically to me. He started a new group of time monitoring idiots called the Time Bureau. They're just as annoying as the old group, but without all the killing… as far as I know. And ever since then, I've been running this place and these weirdos."

Leonard chuckled. "Well, at least Rip made one right decision in his life. I'm willing to bet you're doing a much better job than him."

"Maybe not better, but definitely different," Sara said with a laugh.

Just then, Gideon's voice interrupted them. "I'm very sorry, Captain Lance, but the others are asking for you."

"Ugh, yeah, I guess we need to deal with the Nazis," Sara sighed.

"Did you ever think you'd live a life where that sentence doesn't sound completely strange?" Leonard asked, reaching over to tuck her hair behind her ear.

"I certainly never thought I'd live a life where you and I would finally make it into bed with each other."

"Fighting Nazis is more believable than a romp in the sheets for us?"

"Not more believable, but let's face it, if this was a television show, the writers would obviously hate us."

Leonard was inclined to agree.

They both began to get dressed, Leonard stalling a bit as he did so. Sara assumed it was because he was watching her (and it partially was), but he also wanted a minute alone.

"Slow poke!" Sara said as she began to leave. "I'll meet you on the bridge, ok?"

"Be right there… Captain."

Sara winked and walked away.

Leonard sighed and looked up. "Gideon, need a favor from you."

"Yes, Mr. Snart?" Gideon replied.

"If I'm still around after all this mess, I'm gonna need you to fill me in on what happened while I was gone. Can you do that?"

"Of course. It has been an eventful time."

"Sounds about right for these parts," he muttered before slipping on his boots.

"Mr. Snart?" Gideon asked with an unsure pause that made Leonard wonder if she got an emotion upgrade while he was gone.

"Yeah, Gideon?"

"It's good to have you back."

"It's good to be back. It's definitely good to be back."


	3. Chapter 3

Leonard ran to catch up with Sara, hating to be late to the planning party. When he got there, she had just pulled up some schematics on the holotable.

Mick took note of how close this new Leonard was standing next to Sara and began to regret defending him. How dare this new guy swoop in like that? No matter how long old Leonard had been gone.

And then he met Leonard's eyes and recognized the spark in them. There's no way any other Leonard from any other Earth could have made that look. Leonard gave Mick the tiniest of nods in confirmation that it really was him.

Mick quickly glanced to Sara who happened to meet his gaze at that moment as well. She winked at him and continued talking like their teammate hadn't just come back from the dead. He didn't leave the group like he wanted, but Mick surely didn't hear much else of the planning.

Once the teams dispersed to finalize their own plans, Mick quickly walked over to Leonard and Sara.

"Boss?" he questioned.

"As a matter of fact," Leonard replied.

"But… how?" Mick stammered.

"Look, it's a long story, but here's the short version: the Oculus sent me to Earth-X, I fought the Nazis there and somehow we all ended up back here. I'll gladly tell you the rest later, but for now, there's more to do."

Mick looked to Sara. "And it's true?"

"I had Gideon scan his hand. It's the one she regenerated. Has to be him. He's given me other proof too."

"Ah, that's where you two were. Doin' the nasty."

"Really, Mick?" Leonard sighed.

"Sorry, spending your reunion making love," Mick said with exaggerated arms.

Sara face-palmed. "Call it what you want, Mick, but that wasn't even what I meant. Leonard has told me things that only he would know happened. He's the Leonard we lost. He's back."

Mick would have found it shocking, if not for every other unbelievable thing he had seen in the last few years. "Well, Boss, it's good to have you back." He stuck out his hand to shake.

"Mick, I've been dead for almost 2 years. I get more than a handshake, brother," Leonard said, pulling Mick into a hug.

Mick looked with surprise at Sara, who merely shrugged.

"You sure this is our Snart?" Mick grumbled as Leonard released him.

Leonard smirked. "It's me. Time away has taught me a few things. I appreciate people a little more now. I'm sorry for those times I made you feel less than you are."

"Holy shit," Mick muttered. "This must be one hell of a long story."

Sara laughed and dragged them back to the holotable to finish planning what the Legends were going to do to take down the newest threat to their world.

* * *

After a hard fought battle, the teams split up between STAR Labs and the Waverider and its medbay for the injured.

Leonard sat in one of the jump seats (the one he usually favored) and Sara sat on his lap. He gratefully accepted her and wrapped his arms around her waist. It was good to be here and to see those heroes milling about the ship.

Mick looked at them with confusion, but happiness as well. He just couldn't believe this was happening. Both Bosses, with smiles on their faces. Genuine smiles. Yeah, it must be one hell of a long story that Snart had to tell.

Leonard leaned close to Sara's ear so no one else could hear.

"Come with me, Canary. I want to do something I've never done before."

Sara quirked a playful eyebrow at him and quickly stood, letting him lead her away.

Mick could only roll his eyes, but then chuckled as he went to find a beer.

Leonard and Sara wandered to her room.

She giggled as she locked the door. "So, what do you have in mind? I feel like there probably isn't much you haven't tried."

"Well, there is this thing." He led her into the washroom and turned on the shower.

"Really? Never in there?"

"Judgey much, Canary?" he asked with a smirk. "Besides, I'm going to take care of you. Which, admittedly, isn't something I'm known for. So shut up and get naked."

"Now _that_ sounds more like the Leonard I know," she said as she began to undress.

He did the same and joined her in the shower. She tried to kiss him, but he denied her.

"First things first, assassin." He stood behind her, tilted her head back under the spray, and reached for some shampoo.

She turned a bit and quirked an eyebrow at him. "You're gonna wash my hair?"

"You think I can't?"

Sara looked to his very short hair. "I think you don't have much experience," she said with a giggle.

"Trust me," he whispered.

His eyes spoke volumes at that moment.

"With my life," she replied, and she turned back away.

He gently washed out the grime from the previous battle and then let his lips and his hands do a little wandering.

"Now this is more of what I expected," she murmured.

She felt him smirk against her shoulder and lost herself to the sensations.

* * *

Once they finally finished their shower (among other things), they fell onto her bed.

"So, crook," Sara said.

"Yeah, assassin?"

"You gonna stay with the team?"

"Be a Legend again?"

"Yep."

"I can think of worse places."

She paused. Yes, he had certainly seen worse places than the insides of this crazy timeship.

"Well, I'm glad the Waverider is a step up from Nazi land," Sara said, hoping to lighten the moment.

He looked into her eyes. "The Waverider is home."

Her eyes got a little shimmery at that.

"Actually, scratch that," he began. "Anywhere you are… that's home. But admittedly, I hold a special place in my heart for this old ship."

"Yeah, got a lot of history here," she agreed.

"Pun intended?" he asked.

"Not originally. But I'm glad I did it now."

A comfortable silence filled the room as the just enjoyed each other's company.

That is, until Gideon's voice broke the silence.

"Captain Lance, I'm sorry again, but the others are asking for you both on the bridge. Apparently there is to be a party at STAR Labs and you and Mr. Snart are going to be late if you don't hurry to join them."

Leonard looked at Sara. "Gideon, tell them we're sorry, but we're just going to have to be late." And he put a hand behind her head and began to kiss her with all the love he felt.

"Yes, Mr. Snart. I'll tell them that you've been… delayed."

"Perfect," Sara whispered in agreement.


	4. Chapter 4

A few days after the huge win, after all the other teams had gone home, the Legends were all gathered on the bridge. They celebrated the defeat of the Nazis, the return of Leonard, and the retirement of Professor Stein.

"Speech, speech!" Sara called, lifting her glass.

Martin awkwardly adjusted his glasses. "Well, you know I'm a man of few words—"

"Gray, you've been in my head, I know that's not true!" Jax interrupted.

"Yeah, and you may use few words, but the ones you use no one knows!" Nate added.

The professor chuckled. "Yes, well, be that as it may, I'm humbled at my time on this ship. I wanted a grand adventure, and I was certainly granted it. I have grown to love you all as my family and I will deeply miss our time together. But, time travel is a young man's game, I suppose. And now I will begin my golden years with Clarissa by my side and little Ronnie at my feet, Lily at our desk. I couldn't have asked for a better team to usher me into this stage of my life. I thank you all, from the very bottom of my heart. And I love you all as well." There was a notable hitch to his voice as he finished.

"To Professor Stein!" Leonard said, lifting his glass again.

"To Professor Stein!" they all repeated.

They all gathered around to shake hands with or hug the professor as Sara said, "Gideon, please set a course for the Professor's home."

"My other home," Martin clarified. "The Waverider is surely my home as well."

Sara smiled. "Well then, Gideon, set a course for Clarissa."

Martin nodded as Gideon announced, "Very well then. Setting a course for Clarissa Stein in December, the year 2017."

"We'll get you home for Ronnie's first Hanukkah," Leonard said, putting a hand out for Martin to shake.

The professor carefully eyed the offered hand and then looked at Leonard. "I will not shake that hand, Mr. Snart." At Leonard's fallen expression, Stein added, "But I will give a hug to the man who has grown exponentially on this journey."

He opened his arms wide and Leonard (much to the surprise of all those around them) gratefully accepted the embrace.

"Thank you, Professor. For everything," he said softly.

"No thanks are necessary. But I will require you to keep an eye on our Captain now. Though, I feel like I don't even need to ask."

Leonard pulled back, his hands staying on the professor's shoulders. "No worries there."

Martin shook a threatening finger at Leonard. "And no more valiant acts of heroism. At least, none that leads to your suspected – or actual – death."

"You have my word," Leonard said, lowering his hands.

"To be blunt, there was a time where your word wouldn't have meant much to me, Mr. Snart. But now? It means a great deal."

Martin thumped Leonard on the shoulder and turned to Nate who was calling him.

Sara put a hand on Leonard's arm. "High praise coming for the man who originally thought you were nothing but a common criminal."

"I was never a _common_ criminal," Leonard joked. "But I do appreciate the sentiment. I look up to him now. He's an impressive man."

Sara could only nod before Mick called, "Hey, Boss!"

"Yeah, Mick?" both Sara and Leonard replied. "Oh, sorry," they both said right after.

"Actually, I meant both of ya'. I just wanted to see what you'd do. That was pretty good. Anyway, Haircut got out some good booze if you want it."

"Maybe in a minute, Mick," Sara replied. "I'm going to go talk to Stein for a moment, ok?" she told Leonard.

"Take your time," he replied, kissing the top of her head.

Leonard took that opportunity to sneak away to his (Sara's? their?) room.

"Gideon?" he said as the door closed.

"Yes, Mr. Snart?"

"Can you fill me in on the past 2 years? As quickly but as thoroughly as possible."

"Certainly. After your departure, the rest of the crew succeeded in defeating Vandal Savage by traveling to 3 different points in history and killing him those 3 times."

"Resourceful," he muttered.

"After that, Captain Hunter scattered the rest of the Legends throughout time and crashed the Waverider into the ocean with Mr. Rory in hypersleep still within. Soon enough, Mr. Heywood enlisted the help of Mr. Queen to find the crashed ship and the scattered crew members. Once they were found, they fought the Nazis and met members of the JSA."

"Holy shit. They did all that?"

"I'm just getting started, Mr. Snart. And it's rude to interrupt."

"Sorry…"

"They have also fought Damien Dhark on several occasions, and zombies, Dominators, an evil Captain Hunter, and an alternate time-line in which the Legion of Doom (including yourself) ruled the world, all while trying to find and fix aberrations. Captain Lance was killed by Captain Hunter at one point and the team also saved the Star Wars and Indiana Jones franchises."

"Whoa, Gideon! Back up a little. Rip killed Sara?!"

"Affirmative. He shot her in the stomach and then broke her neck."

"You're as delicate as usual, I see."

"I've been accused of it before."

"She's certainly good at coming back from the dead… Anything else?"

"Captain Lance's sister has passed away."

"That explains a lot."

"Mr. Rory became friends with George Washington and earned a statue of himself in Washington DC."

"Oh, we'll be visiting that soon!"

"And Captain Lance was amorous with the Queen of France and Queen Guinevere of Camelot."

"And we'll be visiting _that_ soon as well!" Leonard said with a laugh.

"The team defeated the Legion of Doom by visiting a time they had already been and had essentially broken time. However, they did it to save the Spear of Destiny. Captain Hunter started a new group of monitors known as the Time Bureau to clean up the anachronisms that came from the break. However, Captain Lance is fighting for the chance for the Legends to fix the mistakes as well. The crew is currently waiting for the next fight with Damien Dhark."

Leonard sighed. "Geez, anything else, Gideon?"

"You asked for the abbreviated version. I could give you a week by week summary."

He rolled his eyes. "I think perhaps I'll pass on that."

"It doesn't matter anyway. Captain Lance is asking for you to join the crew on the bridge."

Leonard wanted to say something sarcastic to the AI, but decided against it, considering Sara beckoned. Plus, he was pretty sure that Gideon was a little sassier than he remembered and she probably would have put up more of a fight. He'd save that fun for later.

As he approached the bridge, he saw the crew getting into the jump seats.

"Time to go," Sara told Leonard, walking to the captain's chair.

Leonard strapped himself in and wondered if it had been too long for him since his last time jump. What ailment would fall upon him this time?

A good vomit as they landed behind Stein's house was the answer he got.

Martin smiled. "Clarissa wants to see all of you before you go. Could you spare some time to see her? Perhaps eat with us? I believe she has drinks as well."

Mick's face lit up. "What kind?"

"There will be beer, Mr. Rory. I believe Clarissa bought your favorite kind: cheap." He scrunched up his face.

Sara grinned. "For you, Professor, we could spare the time"

Martin looked to Gideon. "Gideon, it has been a pleasure and a delight to spend so much time with a being such as yourself. You're invaluable to the team."

"Thank you, Professor Stein. I shall miss our talks and deliberating. I wish you much happiness now that you are here."

"An artificial intelligence wishes me happiness. Astonishing!" he murmured as he turned to leave.

The Legends departed the ship and met with Clarissa. Lily and Ronnie were also there. Leonard felt an unexplainable tug at his heart as he watched Sara hug and snuggle the baby. He'd have to consider what that meant later. Right now was all about Stein and his happy retirement. The old man deserved that much.

Soon enough, it was time to go. Clarissa thanked the whole crew for being Martin's family while he was away, especially Jax.

"It was my honor," Jax replied. "Usually." The crew laughed and a tear was visible in Martin's eye. "But seriously, it won't be the same without you. Gonna be strange to be Firestorm without you in my head."

"I have all the confidence in the world that you will continue on with greatness!"

After another round of hugs and handshakes (and Mick taking a case of beer with him), the Legends returned to the ship.

As Sara and Leonard climbed into bed that night, he sighed.

"What's on your mind?" Sara asked.

"A lot happened while I was gone."

"Yeah, we've dealt with a lot."

Leonard decided not to bring Laurel up just yet. "Gideon was filling me in on some of it."

"Yeah?"

"Mmm-hmm. Died again, eh?"

"Well, you know, it's kind of my shtick."

"Is there a reason Hunter is still alive after pulling that shit?"

"I actually saved him."

"Come again?"

"Jax wanted to shoot him. Almost did. But I talked him out of it. I couldn't let Jax become a killer because of me."

"It wouldn't have been because of you. It would have been because of the bastard that killed you!"

"Maybe. But Rip wasn't of his right mind. He had been brainwashed. I couldn't let Jax kill someone that was kind of innocent."

"Innocent?!"

Sara cringed at Leonard's tone. He had every right to be upset, but it was in the past and nothing to be done about it now.

"It doesn't matter now. I'm fine. Professor Stein and Gideon brought me back. Rip got his mind straight and was very sorry. And now he's in prison for being a jerk with the Time Bureau and another crazy vendetta he has. So, don't worry about it. Please?"

He sighed. She was here and alive and she was in his arms. He'd have to let it go for now. But if he ever saw Hunter again, there would certainly be words… and fists… and possibly a frozen foot.

"Fine. So now what?" Leonard asked.

"Now, we keep doing what we do. We fix time, especially what we broke," Sara said with a bit of a laugh. "We keep kicking ass. Especially you and me."

"Seeing what the future holds?"

"Pfft! I already know that one." She pulled him into a heated kiss.

As he pulled back for air, he smiled. "Yeah, I think I know that one too."


End file.
